Sneezing – What Is It, Causes & Treatment

What is Sneezing?

Involuntary burst of air from the lungs forced through the nose and mouth is called as sneezing. It cannot be controlled and one shouldn’t try to hold one in.

Sneezing is the body’s way of removing the irritants like dust, pollen and dirt that can make an individual sick or cause inflammation. While sneezing can be annoying and inconvenient it usually doesn’t denote any serious health conditions.

Causes of Sneezing

There are various things that might cause sneezing; some of them are:

• Withdrawal from drugs like opioids.
• Use nasal sprays as they contain medications like corticosteroids.
• Allergies due to dust, pollen, mould, pet, hay fever, etc.
• Eating spicy food.
• Viral infections like Flu or common cold.
• Sometimes, stress might also trigger sneezing as the body releases chemicals and hormones like histamine.
• Strong emotions

Disease Spread through Sneezing

Sneezing a lot throws around forty thousand tiny droplets of bacteria and viruses from the mouth and nose into the air or any surface in close proximity. When another person is within close enough range to breathe in these types of bacteria or if they touch the surface and are infected with these droplets, they get infected as well.

Infections that are most commonly spread by sneezing are:

• Flu
• Pneumonia
• Common cold
• Meningococcal disease
• RSV

Treatment for Sneezing

Avoiding things that make one sneeze is a start to avoid constant sneezing. There can also be some simple changes that can be made to your home.

Maintaining the home’s filtration system by changing the furnace from time to time.

People who are allergic to pet hair should either trim their pet’s fur or, in extreme cases of allergy, should consider giving them up to a loving family.

In case of allergy due to dust mites, wash the sheets in hot water and also consider buying an air filter.

Molds also cause sneezing, so one might also need to check their homes for mould infests at their home.

In case of sneezing due to allergies, the physician and the individual can figure out a solution together on either avoiding the source of allergy or medications for it.

Antihistamines, the medication for allergies or even over-the-counter medications can also be taken to relieve the symptoms.

For people with extreme allergies, allergy shots might be recommended by the doctor. These injections expose the body to extracts of purified allergens in small and regulated doses to help the body get used to the allergens and not react in the future.

For sneezing due to infections like the flu and the common cold, treatment options are very few as none of the antibiotics are useful for the virus that causes the common cold and flu.

Conclusion

The body’s natural mechanism to protect the respiratory system from potentially harmful substances and irritants is called sneezing.

Individuals can manage the symptoms of sneezing by understanding the potential underlying conditions and causes of it. They can further seek medical help accordingly.

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